Traction and non-skid device.



J. W. REID. TBAGTION AND NON-SKID DEVICE. APPLIOATION FILED 111111.16, 1911.

'LOWQOQe I Patented F6120, 1912 I little as possible with the running of the wie JAMES W. REU), OF NEW YORK, N. Y..

rigen.

TnAcTIoN AND NoN-SKID' Dnvrcn Specification of Letters Patent.

Applicationiea March 1e, 1911. serial no; 614,772.

To all whom 'it may concern:

Be it known that I, JAMES W. REID, a citizen of the United States, residing at New York, county of 1New YorlnState of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements. in Traction and Non- Skid Devices, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

M 1 invention relates` to traction' and antiskid devices for motor vehicles, andi's particularly, though not exclusively, adapted for use on automobile trucks which are usually provided with double solidcushion tires.

The object of the invention is to provide a device which may be readily applied and removed; any of the part-sof which-may be readily replaced if worn out or broken; and one which is so arranged as to interfere as driving gear of the vehicle.

A further object is to provide a device which may be susceptible to amore varied adjustment and with which the adjustment may be effected on the more accessible or outer side of the wheel.

Vith these and other objects which will appear in the following specification in view, the invention consists in a construction and arrangement of parts, a preferred embodiment of which is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure l is a side elevation of a wheel@ provided with the device, viewed from the inner side of the wheel. Fig. 2 is a sectional l view through the tire and telly. Fig.' Si

comprises a plan and side elevation'oi one form of traction or tread element which may be used with the device.

In the embodiment herein illustrated, the f invention comprises a plurality o't' J-shaped I bails or tread members, each consisting of a y cross arm or tread portion l adapted to rest. upon the outer rim of the cushion tire 9.. One end of the traction men'iber terminates in a short arm or hook 3 which takes over 1 the telly, with the hook' poi-tion 4 located just inside the folly 5. The opposite end: of the traction member is prolonged into a second longer hook member having a hook portion 7. Each traction member is i preferably made of spring metal and, as-` ehown in Fig. 2, the short and long hookf members 3 and (5 respectively are shaped to extenddtoward cach other so that the hook ,i portions 4 and 7 respectively will .lie well l within the plane of the 'side ofthe ellv when the traction member is in position. By' this construction the danger of the catching of the hook members upon objects besidel the vehicle, or of interference of the inner hook members with 1the driving or other running gear of the vehicle, is largely the device are connected by meansv of chains or cables 8 and 9 respectively, which pass through the hooks or loops on the` ends of the hook members 3 and 6l respectively. The

"chains may each be provided with a hook and` turn-buckle 10 whereby the ends of the chains may be'connectedwhen the device is applied to' a' wheel, or disconnected torre?.

inoval of the same, and the chains may be Atightened to hold the traction members tightly in place. i

ln applying the'device to a vehicle wheel, the chain 8 of the inner or shorter hook avoided. r)The several traction members of members 3 is disconnected and the short side with the hooks 7' extending well within the felly 5. The inner chain is then con nected and tightened and finally the outer chain is connected and tightened, thereby drawing the non-skid members 14 snugly down-over the tire and holding the device firmly in position. It will be seen that the form of the device and manner of fastening the same are such ,as not to interfere with the normalcreeplng action or" the device around the tire. rl`he traction members may consist of straight cross bars extending over the tire from side to side, if desired, or, they may take the form of tread plates. of various shapes, suoli, for example, as that shown in Eig. 3, in whichthe tread plates are provided with traction ribs 11.

From the above description it Will be seen that the device may be very readily applied to a wheel and that by reason of the short length of the inner arms 3, interference with the driving mechanism or brake drums on thc driving axle of the vehicle will be entirel y avoided, since these arms may be made ot' such a length as to locate the hook 4 immediately within the felly and hence spaced well away from the hub or axle.

While in thc drawings I have shown the chains which connect the ends of the arms 1 as passing freely through loops on the ends thereof, 1t 1s obvious that such chains or cables might be connected at spaced interadapted to connect the longer ends of said j traction members.

vals with s'aidrarm members so as to guaranl 5 prismg a plurality of traction members, each tee uniform spacing at all tin'les. Such an arrangement wouldvbe too obvious to require special illustration; for example, the hooks 4 or 7 might simply be passed through the links in the chains. Again, in some instances, by reason of the improved construction herein shown, a chain or cable might y be omitted for the ends of the shorter arms, since such arms intend to hook Aunder the felly and are retained thereby.

While I have herein described a particular embodiment of my invention, the same may be altered in detail or relative arrangement of parts Within the scope of the appended claims.

lVhat I claim is:

1. A traction and antiskid device comprising a plurality of traction members, each being substantially of J-shape and having its ends extending radially of the Wheel, the short end of each traction member terminating in .anl offset portion adapted to extend Within the felly of the Wheel, the longer ends extending to points adjacent the hub 2. A traction and anti-skidy device combeing of substantially Jeshape, the shorter arm of each member being shaped to extend within and closely adjacent to the felly of the wheel, the other arm being of a length to extend Well toward the hub of the wheell iexible connecting members for connecting the ends of said traction members upon each side of the wheel respectively.

3. In a traction device for wheels, a plurality of hook shaped bails arranged to extend over and across the tread of a Wheel, the bail ends extending inwardly toward the middle portion of said wheel, one of said bail ends being longer than the other, and means for holding all of said bails in contact with the thread of a Wheel, the shorter bail ends hooking under the felly of the wheel.

JAMES W. REID.

lVitnesses:

R. C. MITCHELL, E. E. MORSE. 

